Chandigarh CAT first in India to ensure zero pendency for case prior to 2015

The Chandigarh bench of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) is the first among 17 other benches and the lower and high courts in the country to have attainted zero pendency of cases, prior to 2015. This means that the number of cases pending post 2015 is 1,097. The bench exercises jurisdiction over Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and UT Chandigarh.

The bench settled over 4,100 cases against the 4,000-odd new cases that were filed over it in 2015 and 2016.(HT Representative Image)

The Chandigarh bench of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) is the first among 17 other benches and the lower and high courts in the country to have attainted zero pendency of cases, prior to 2015. This means that the number of cases pending post 2015 is 1,097. The bench exercises jurisdiction over Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Chandigarh.

What worked for the bench were messages sent to advocates; bar members personally communicating to members that old cases would be listed on priority and a decision by judges that cases will not be adjourned unnecessarily, says the chairman of the Chandigarh Bench, justice MS Sullar.

The bench settled over 4,100 cases against the 4,000-odd new cases that were filed over it in 2015 and 2016.

On what was the motivation behind undertaking this task, justice Sullar said, “All the criticism that the judiciary faces over the increasing pendency was a major motivating factor.”

On its way to having just about 1,100 unsettled cases, the bench decided on two cases from 2002 and 2003.

The 2002 case was that of Sarup Singh, an ex-assistant director (museum) from Patiala. He had moved the CAT over an issue related to a penalty from the dismissal of service by his disciplinary authority, after he was stated to have committed misconduct during his tenure as assistant director, Sports Authority of India. His Original Application (OA) was partly accepted. In the 2003 case, it was a case transferred from another court of that of an extra departmental branch post master from Halsidar, Verinag, who fraudulently withdrew a sum of 1,500.